Posts tagged Albemarle

The 29 Saga Continues

in Albemarle Charlottesville Transportation on

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Decades and decades of planning and fighting about what to do about Route 29 and I’d argue that our region is worse off because nothing substantive has been done other than widening 29 and adding stop lights.

Anyone stepping into the morass that is the evolution of the 29 Corridor would be hard-pressed to make sense of what the County is trying to accomplish. Sean Tubbs at Charlottesville Tomorrow does a good job breaking down where we are right now in the 29 planning process.

A $203 million package of solutions to ease traffic congestion on U.S. 29 through Albemarle andCharlottesville includes one new road, a grade-separated intersection at Rio Road, study of a similar facility at Hydraulic Road, and a down payment on a second daily Amtrak train.

Pictures are worth 1000 words; this concept of what the grade-separated interchanges look like is a start.

There is a public hearing about these 29 alternatives on 27 May. Hopefully people will show up.

I know this; my younger daughter will be driving by the time this thing is halfway started.

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30+ Tips for First-Time Homebuyers

in Albemarle Buyers Charlottesville General Real Estate on

This week I had the opportunity to talk to a small group of first time homebuyers. In preparing, I asked social media, “What one piece of advice would you give a first-time homebuyer?”

The answers – from clients (recent and not), friends, and good real estate professionals – were outstanding. I’m grateful for their sharing. I thought about highlighting one or two or ranking them in order from best to not-quite-best, but each is the best piece in its own category.

How does one rank these? They’re all really important – and these aren’t even a third of the great advice offered.

– Buy below your means

– Profits are made when purchasing a house not selling

– ignore HGTV

– Pay attention to the things that really matter (layout, size, neighborhood, etc.); don’t focus on aesthetics like paint color and appliances that can be changed.

Have savings after you close; cash solves a lot of future problems

– Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even if you’re worried they’ll make you sound dumb.

There are a lot more after the break.

Some of the notes I used to prepare and speak: (naturally, in writing this post, I was able to find and references stories I’ve written over the past 9 years)

– When to start? I’d say to engage with a good Realtor and lender about 9-18 months before you’re aiming to close. Take time to learn the area, the market, your life patterns, growth and development patterns. Read all that you can.

– Rent first.

– Always visit the area around your house before you buy – at multiple times of day on multiple days.

– Questions a Realtor can’t answer (related: Big data and civil rights. Also:

– Questions to ask your prospective Buyers Agent (My advice: don’t hire a part-timer) Also: Why hiring family may be a bad idea.

– How to search for homes without a Realtor (in Charlottesville)

– Assembling the team. How your Realtor helps assemble the necessary A-Team.

– Work with a local lender. These are the two I tend to recommend the most.

– How to choose the right buyers agent (hint: it’s sort of like dating)

– I highly recommend reading RealCentralVA and, if you’re interested in Crozet, RealCrozetVA. But at the very least, please do subscribe to my monthly note, in which I summarize the best posts from the previous month, among other original stories. In fact, the quote I read during the talk from a buyer client was published in my monthly note.

And because I’m writing this post purely as advice from a real estate professional, my name is Jim Duncan. I’m a real estate agent. I’m a partner at Nest Realty in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Call or email me anytime with questions – even ones you think are dumb.

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Costco Coming to Charlottesville, Bringing Traffic With It

in Albemarle Charlottesville Transportation on

Who woulda thunk that dropping 150,000 square feet of retail would bring traffic with it? The Stonefield shopping center is challenging at best to navigate – from Trader Joe’s to Pasture, for example, and is remarkably so for a pedestrian (I haven’t yet tried to bicycle there as 29 is scary).

If you’re curious to read some of the background, these are some of the stories I was writing in 2006 about Stonefield, which was originally called Albemarle Place.

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Rivanna Village – 400 More Homes Coming – Near Glenmore

in Albemarle Charlottesville General Real Estate on

What they’ve done here is pretty cool.

400 more homes coming to that section of 250 East will be interesting.

“The plan also features about 32 acres of open space and linear parks, a mixed-use village center and single-family homes.”

This is a prime example of why I tell my clients that if they don’t own the land around them, they should expect it to change. I wonder how many people who moved to Glenmore in 2007 knew they’d be neighbors to this new development?

The Rivanna Village project has been in the works for over a decade … I was a bit surprised to see that I’d written about it in 2005. (sadly, the Daily Progress story to which I linked is disappointingly gone).

Further, the town centers I wrote about in 2007 have not quite come to fruition; Albemarle Place is Stonefield, Belvedere doesn’t yet have a town center and North Pointe is still a couple years away.

Read the whole story at Charlottesville Tomorrow.

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May 2014 Monthly Note – Puzzles, the Market & Buyers’ Questions

in Albemarle Charlottesville on

May 2014 Monthly Note

This month’s note will be published by the end of the week. Promise.

The above is my working, preliminary outline for my Monthly Note – some of the best stuff I write that I don’t publish on blogs … and don’t have the archives publicly available.

Each month I do a “blog recap” of some of the more notable stories on RealCrozetVA and RealCentralVA. I’d like to think that since I’d been writing this monthly note, my writing and focus have improved on all three platforms, and I’d really like to think readers share this sentiment.

Audience: real estate consumers (although some of the best responses come from real estate professionals).

Curious? Interested? Two clicks and you’ll get this month’s note; I think I’ve picked a few great topics this month.

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What do Buyers (Moving to or In) Charlottesville Read?

in Albemarle Charlottesville General Real Estate on

In last month’s Monthly Note I asked – What do you read? One of the best responses was this:

What do I read? The sites I’ve used as we’ve considered where to move include the local newspapers and related sites — just to get an idea about the town and the issues that are important, as well as the economic health and forecasts for the area. As far as real estate specific, not so many. I opened up searches on Trulia a couple years ago to get a feeling for the houses we could afford in a couple areas. I keep tabs on things like greatplacestoretire.com, but I find them more useful in making me feel good about where I’ve chosen than helping me choose someplace out of the blue. Almost all of their recommendations are places I’d never consider for any reason.

I see it as my responsibility to educate my clients as best as I possibly can. Part of that education includes informing clients as to which information sources I’ve found useful and credible and which aren’t. (this is sort of like when I tell clients they don’t want to see a house because it’s awful)

A quick listing of what I tend to advise folks read:

– Charlottesville Tomorrow – hands down, the best source of information on Charlottesville and Albemarle transportation, growth, development news. And their archives don’t disappear.

– CvillePedia – Charlottesville Tomorrow’s Charlottesville wikipedia.

– The Daily Progress – their writing and information seems to have gotten better and more comprehensive in the past few months, although their website is an ad-ridden abomination. Install Adblock plus before you visit their site.

– RealCrozetVA – if you’re thinking about moving to Crozet, I (selfishly) highly recommend reading this. I’ve heard from many people who’ve moved to Crozet that they used the site (and many have said they wished they’d contacted me).

– C-Ville – In the absence of The HooK, C-Ville has become the only other newspaper in Charlottesville.

– Free Enterprise Forum – one of my favorite blogs. Disclosure: sponsored by the Charlottesville Realtor Association and Charlottesville Homebuilders, it has a pro-growth slant (but y’all could figure that out)

– cvillenews – one of the original Charlottesville blogs

A reader commented on my Google+ post:

Blogs: My favorite is Young House Love, and Apartment Therapy is also good (it’s probably better for how to manage a space/issue and less to do with home-buying).

And now I’m awfully curious to know what other blogs and sites my buyers and sellers read – where do you get your advice and insight into the home buying and selling process?
I’m really quite interested in this – too often the real estate “advice” my clients cite is from other markets markets and other states – where real estate business practices are very, very different. Real estate practices are highly localized and knowing the differences and idiosyncrasies matter.

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